Craig’s Tractor Enthusiasts Club Founder Robert McCaughey (center) & club members pictured with Oonagh Chesney, Air Ambulance NI Representative
The Craigs Tractor Enthusiasts club have raised £12,700 for Air Ambulance NI, from a corn cutting day, a tractor run and the sale of DVDs.
Club founder, Robert McCaughey, would like to express his sincere thanks to everyone who contributed throughout the year and to those who helped plan and organise the events, with a special word of thanks to Sam Coleman for the use of his premises to host the tractor run.
Over the past three years, the group has organised several events including their now annual tractor run, ‘Craig’s Tractor Run’, which involves over 100 tractors and wider community in their hundreds.
The group also organises a classic silage day event, which included for the first time in 2024 a trade show element welcoming over 30 trade stalls to the event. This provided an opportunity for local businesses to showcase their products and services and gain valuable contacts and customers, as well as the chance to enjoy the event’s activities.
Craigs Tractor Enthusiasts work widely across the local area to make these events happen, collaborating with the wider farming community, local businesses, and media, all for a charity close to their hearts- Air Ambulance Northern Ireland.
Air Ambulance NI operates in partnership with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) to provide the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) for the region. The service operates seven days a week for 12 hours per day, the team responds to serious incidents, providing swift and skilled medical intervention, which can save lives in crucial moments.
Commenting on the events, Area Fundraising Manager for Air Ambulance NI, Katrina Hughes, said:
"Community events like the tractor run and silage day hosted by Craigs are so important to Air Ambulance NI, the enthusiasm, commitment and hard work that goes into planning and executing these events highlights the incredible passion our local communities have for supporting the service, and without it we would be grounded.
“We are immensely grateful for the support and want to thank Robert McCaughey and team for everything they have done, thank you for helping to save lives."
With the incident rate of farming accidents as prevalent as ever, Air Ambulance NI is a critical lifeline to the rural community, and whether the accident is in relation to moving vehicles, livestock, slurry, or falls from height- when a farm or agriculture incident occurs, the HEMS team can reach anywhere in NI in up to 25 minutes.
The annual ploughing and corn cutting day, along with the annual November tractor run will continue in 2025 under the new club’s name ‘Craigs Vintage Classic Club’, with organisers Robert McCaughey and Robert Graham welcoming everyone, far and wide, to continue to support the events in aid of the vital service of Air Ambulance NI.